Fishing devices



Sept. 7, 1965 G. L. BEERS 3,204,364

FISHING DEVICES Original Filed July 19, 1963 INVENTOR 650/?66 Z. 555% United States Patent 3,204,364 FISHING DEVICES George L. Beers, 410 Peyton Ava, Haddonfield, NJ. Original application July 19, 1963, Ser. No. 296,204, new Patent No. 3,167,879, dated F ch. 2, 1965. Divided and this application Sept. 3th, 1964, Ser. No. 400,434 7 Claims. (Cl. 43-4496) This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 296,204- filed July 19, 1963, now Patent No. 3,167,879.

This invention relates to an improved sinker which is particularly suitable for surf fishing.

In surf fishing the sinker serves two basic purposes. The first function is that of transporting the baited hook or hooks and the line a sufficient distance from the shore so that fish may be attracted by the bait and caught. This is accomplished by means of energy stored in the sinker through the act of casting. To achieve the maximum distance in sur-fcasting the weight or mass of the sinker must be related to the stiffness or flexibility of the rod which is used. If the casting rod is either too stiff or too flexible for the weight of the sinker the distance achieved by the surfca'ster will be substantially reduced. The weight of the sinker, however, must be adequate to carry the baited hook and line the desired distance.

Another sinker requirement from the standpoint of achieving maximum distance in surfcasting is that the sinker be reasonably streamlined and that it does not tend to flutter or oscillate so that it ofiers a minimum resis-t ance to its travel through the air. It is obvious that the wind resistance contributed by the baited hook and the line will also be a factor in determining the distance achieved by the surfcaster.

The second function of the sinker is to hold the baited hook or hooks at the location to which it has been cast until a fish has been caught or the fisherman desires to retrieve it. This second function of the sinker introduces additional requirements which are not entirely consistent with the first function. The fisherman generally desires to keep some tension on the line so that he will be aware of a fish picking up the bait. On a windy day the action of the wind and waves on the line cause a pull on the sinker which is frequently suffi-cient to dislodge it and the baited hook, sinker and line will gradually wash up on the beach. Surf fishermen using conventional casting reels most frequently use pyramid sinkers weighing four ounces. 'Ihose using reels of the spinning variety in which a relatively light monofilament line is employed may use sinkers of two or three ounces. When the wind and waves are such that the sinker which the fisherman is using will not hold the baited hook in the desired position the fisherman resorts to a heavier sinker. Under unfavorable conditions it is not uncommon for surf fishermen to resort to sinkers weighing six or eight ounces. These heavy si-nkers make casting much more ditficult and frequently prevent the fishermen from determining when a fish has picked up the bait.

An important object of this invention is to provide a sinker which will have substantially greater holding capability than conventional sinkers of the same weight.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sinker which will not overturn with a bouncing action when retrieved.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sinker in which the tendency to flutter or oscillate as the sinker travels through the air is minimized.

A further important object of the invention is to provide an adapter by which a conventional sinker can be converted to include the novel features of this invention so that its holding capability is substantially increased.

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Other important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosure in the accompanying drawing and following specification.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional sinker of the pyramid type.

FIG. 2 illustrates the limited holding capability of the sinker of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an adapter attached to the sinker of FIG, 1 to provide the sinker of FIG. 1 with the novel features of this invention so that its holding capability can be greatly increased.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the adapter of FIG. 3 is attached to the sinker of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sinker incorporating the novel features of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the sinker of FIG. 5 attached to a fishing line and illustrating the greatly increased holding capability of the sinker of FIG. 5 over those of conventional types.

Referring to FIG. 1 a pyramid sinker 10 provided with an attachment loop 11 to which a fishing line 13 is attached through the swivel device 12. A conventional fish hook 15 is also attached to the line 13 through the leader 14. The pyramid sinker as the name implies is in the form of a pyramid. The sinker 10 of FIG. 1 is a popular form of the pyramid sinker in which the four corners designated by the numeral 16 have been flared outwardly from a straight sided pyramid. The pyramid sinker is the most popular sinker in use by surf fishermen. Pyramid sinkers are generally molded of lead with an attachment loop of brass wire.

FIG. 2 illustrates the limitations in the holding capability of the conventional pyramid sinker. When the surf casting operation has been concluded and before any tension has been applied to the line 13 the sinker assumes a position represented by the dotted outline A. One edge of the sinker as represented by any two of the corners designated 16 in FIG. 1 rests in the sand at the point S. It will be apparent that any force applied through the fishing line to the attachment loop 11a by either the fisherman or the action of the wind and waves on the fishing line tends to rotate the sinker in a clockwise direction about the point S. As the force applied to the sinker through the fishing line increases the sinker may assume a position shown by the dotted outline B in which the attachment loop is designated 1112. When the force applied to the sinker through the fishing line is sufiicient to raise the center of gravity of the sinker to a point directly above S the sinker topples over as indicated by the solid outline C. If this force on the line 13 is maintained the sinker moves in the direction of the fishing line and continues to topple over in an erratic manner. If the force causing the sinker to topple over is due to the action of the wind and waves the sinker and baited hook will ultimately come to rest on the beach at the edge of the water. A basic limitation of the holding capability of the conventional pyramid sinker is the relatively small force which is required to raise the center of gravity of the sinker to the point where it topples over.

FIG. 5 shows a sinker incorporating the features of this invention which overcomes the limitations in holding capability of the conventional sinker previously discussed. The sinker 20 in FIG. 5 may be of substantially the same shape as the sinker in) of FIG. 1. The four corners of the sinker (one corner not shown in FIG. 5) are cut away as indicated by the numerals 31, 32 and 33 to leave the corresponding flanges 35, 36 and 37. Apertures 23, 24 and are provided through the flanges 35, 36 and 37. Two U-shaped semirigid wires or members 21 and 22 are inserted through the apertures 23, 24 and 25 in the corner flanges 35, 36 and 37. As shown in FIG. the semirigid U-shaped member 21 is inserted through apertures 24 and 25 in the flanges 36 and 37. Attached to the ends of the semirigid member 21 are beads or washers 27 and 28. The apertures 24 and 25 are substantially larger than the semirigid member 21 so that the semirigid member 21 can move freely through the apertures. The beads or washers 24 and 25 prevent the semirigid member 21 from being pulled back through the apertures so that the sinker can be supported by the semirigid member 21 and the semirigid member 22 which is a duplicate of the semirigid member 21 but passes through the aperture 23 and the aperture not shown in the drawing. The semirigid members 21 and 22 may be of any suitable material such as stainless steel, brass or bronze or any other material which is relatively unaifected by salt water. The beads or washers 26, 27 and 28 may be attached to the semirigid members 21 and 22 by any of the well known methods such as soldering, welding or crimping. If desired the beads or washers can be omitted and the ends of the semirigid members formed in a loop such as used at the ends of the swivel device 12 in FIG. 1. The sinker 20 can be molded readily in the form shown in FIG. 5 or it can be machined from conventional sinkers such as the sinker in FIG. 1. Since the semirigid members 21 and 22 are identical in length and shape and since they can move freely through the apertures in the sinker they can be brought together as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 so that the fishing line may be attached to the sinker through the safety pin attachment device 35.

FIG. 6 shows the sinker resting in the sand after it has been cast out from shore and in a position analogous to the position A for the conventional sinker in FIG. 2. Let us assume that the sand at the point S in FIG. 6 is restraining the sinker 20 from moving in the direction of the fishing line. Any force applied to the sinker through the fishing line 36 cannot cause the sinker to rotate about the point S and topple over. Assume for the purpose of illustration that the sinker 20 rotates slightly in a clockwise direction about the point S. It will be apparent that the semirigid member 22 will slide through the aperture 23 so that no force can be applied to the sinker through the fishing line which will cause it to rotate in a clockwise direction. Furthermore, if the sinker 20 rotated in a clockwise direction the portion of the semirigid member 22 which is looped through the opening in the safety pin attachment device 35 is also free to slide along the opening in the attachment device and likewise prevents any force from being applied to the sinker 20 which will cause it to rotate about the point S.

Thus regardless of the side on which the sinker 20 comes to rest the only force which can be applied to the sinker through the fishing line 36 is a force which maintains the sinker in substantially the position shown in FIG. 6. After the force applied through the line 36 eX- ceeds a value which is substantially greater than that required to topple over the sinker 10 of FIG. 1 and 2 the sinker 20 will move dragging sand before it. Thus the sinker 20 when retrieved by the fisherman reeling in the fishing line 36 will move toward the fisherman with a steady motion in contrast to the erratic toppling over of the sinker of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Should the sinker 20 encounter some rigid object on the ocean floor as it is being reeled in, the semirigid members 21 and 22 are so positioned in the four corners of the sinker that they act as sled runners to cause the sinker to ride up over the rigid object. However, the semirigid members, because of their relatively small cross section, do not prevent the sinker 20 from sinking into the sand when the sinker is at rest.

Another advantage of the sinker of FIGS. 5 and 6 is that the tendency of the sinker to flutter or oscillate as it travels through the air after being cast by the fisherman is minimized. The conventional sinker of FIGS. 1 and 2 as previously stated is attached to the fishing line through the attachment loop 11. Since the sinker of FIGS. 1 and 2 is effectively attached to the line at only a point at approximately the center of the large end of the sinker the small end of the sinker ran be deflected by the air currents in such a way that the sinker tends to flutter as it travels through the air. The sinker of FIGS. 5 and 6, however, is attached to the line through the semirigid members extending through the four corners of the larger end of the sinker and the sinker is effectively stabilized and any tendency to flutter is minimized.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 an adaptor is shown for converting the sinker of FIG. 1 so that it can provide the superior holding capability and other advantages of the sinker of FIGS. 5 and 6.

A relatively thin plate 40 is provided with apertures 43, 44, 45 and 51 around its periphery. The semirigid members 41 and 42 extend through these apertures. Beads or washers such as those shown at 46, 47 and 48 are attached to the ends of the semirigid members 41! and 42 where they extend through the apertures 43, 44, 45 and 51. The semirigid U-shaped members 41 and 42 are identical in length and shape and can move freely through the apertures 43, 44, 45 and 51. They can be brought together as shown in FIG. 3 so that the adaptor can be attached to a fishing line by means of an attachment device such as the safety pin device 35 shown in FIG. 6.

The plate 20 is provided with an aperture or slot 49 which is of such a size that the attachment loop 11 of the sinker 10 can be extended therethrough. With the attachment loop 11 extended through the slot 49 the plate 40 may be attached to the sinker 10 by inserting a retaining device such as the cotter pin 50 through the attachment loop 11. It is apparent that a variety of retaining means can be used instead of the cotter pin 50 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

' By this simple adaptor the conventional sinker 10 can be converted to have the advantages of the sinker 20 in FIGS. 5 and 6. The retaining device 50 is preferably made of a material which is unaffected by salt water when the sinker is to be used for salt Water fishing. The sinker and adaptor combination shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 functions in' the same manner as the sinker shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

What is claimed:

1. An adaptor for a fishing sinker, said sinker having an attachment loop extending above one surface, said adaptor comprising a relatively thin plate having a plurality of apertures around the periphery of said plate, means for attaching said plate to a fishing line including a plurality of semirigid members each having one end extending freely slidable through a different one of said apertures, means associated with said semirigid members for preventing said members from being Withdrawn through said apertures, means including a portion of each of said members adapted to be brought together opposite one side of said plate for the attachment of a fishing line and means for attaching said plate to said sinker including an aperture in said plate whereby said attachment loop may be extended through said aperture and said sinker may be secured to said plate by retaining means extending through said attachment loop.

2. An adaptor for a fishing sinker, said sinker having an attachment loop extending above one surface, said adaptor comprising a relatively thin plate having a plurality of apertures around the periphery of said plate, means for attaching said plate to a fishing line including a plurality of semirigid U-shaped members each having one end extending through a different one of said apertures, means associated with said semi-rigid members for preventing said members from being withdrawn through said apertures, means including a portion of each of said U-shaped members adapted to be brought together opposite one side of said plate for the attachment of a fishing line and means for attaching said plate to said sinker including an aperture in said plate whereby said attachment loop may be extended through said aperture and said sinker may be secured to said plate by retaining means extending through said attachment loop.

3. An adaptor for a fishing sinker, said sinker having an attachment loop extending above one surface, said adaptor comprising a relatively thin plate having a plurality of apertures around the periphery of said plate, means for attaching said plate to a fishing line including a plurality of semirigid members each having one end extending through a different one of said apertures, means at the ends of said members for preventing the ends thereof from passing through said apertures, means ineluding a portion of each of said members adapted to be brought together opposite one side of said plate for the attachment of a fishing line and means for attaching said plate to said sinker including an aperture in said plate whereby said attachment loop may be extended through said aperture and said sinker may be secured to said plate by retaining means extending through said attachment loop.

4. An adaptor for a fishing sinker, said sinker having an attachment loop extending above one surface, said adaptor comprising a relatively thin plate having a plurality of apertures around the periphery of said plate, means for attaching said plate to a fishing line including a plurality of semirigid members, each end of said members extending through a different one of said apertures, means at the ends of said members for preventing the ends thereof from passing through said apertures, means including a portion of each of said members adapted to be brought together opposite one side of said plate and means for attaching said plate to said sinker including an aperture in said plate whereby said attachment loop may be extended through said aperture and said sinker may be secured to said plate by retaining means extending through said attachment loop.

5. An adaptor for a fishing sinker, said sinker having means for attachment to a fishing line, said adaptor comprising a relatively thin plate having a plurality of apertures around the periphery of said plate, the apertures in said plate being substantially perpendicular to the surface of said plate having the largest area, means for attaching said plate to a fishing line including a plurality of semirigid members, one end of each of said members extending freely slidable through a different one of said apertures, means at the ends of said members for preventing the ends thereof from being withdrawn through said apertures, means including a portion of each of said members adapted to be brought together opposite one side of said plate for the attachment of a fishing line and said plate provided with means cooperative with the fishing line attachment means on said sinker to permit said plate to be attached to said sinker.

6. A fishing sinker for attachment to a fishing line comprising a weighted body having one end substantially larger than the opposite end and including a thin plate attached to said larger end, said plate having a plurality of apertures around its periphery and means for attaching said plate to a fishing line including a plurality of semirigid members, one end of each of said members extending freely slidable through a difierent one of the apertures in said plate, means at the ends of said members for preventing the ends thereof from being withdrawn through said apertures and further means including a portion of each of said members adapted to be brought together for the attachment of a fishing line.

7. A fishing sinker for attachment to a fishing line comprising a weighted body having one end substantially larger than the opposite end to minimize the resistance to the movement of said sinker through the air in one direc tion and to provide substantial resistance to the movement of said sinker through the sand at the bottom of a body of water in the opposite direction, said body having a plurality of apertures around the periphery of said larger end and having a central axis extending through said larger and smaller ends, said body including a relatively thin plate at said larger end, said peripheral apertures extending through said plate and being substantially parallel to said central axis and means for attaching said body to a fishing line including a plurality of members each extending freely slidable through a different one of said apertures, said members being sufiiciently rigid that they are not deformed by the forces normally applied to said sinker while fishing, means at the ends of said members for preventing the ends thereof from being withdrawn through said apertures and further means including a portion of each of said members adapted to be brought together for the attachment of a fishing line.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,340,608 2/44 Merle 4343.1 X

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ADAPTOR FOR A FISHING SINKER, SAID SINKER HAVING AN ATTACHMENT LOOP EXTENDING ABOVE ONE SURFACE, SAID ADAPTOR COMPRISING A RELATIVELY THIN PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE, MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID PLATE TO A FISHING LINE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SEMIRIGID MEMBERS EACH HAVING ONE END EXTENDING FREELY SLIDABLE THROUGH A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID APERTURES, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SEMIRIGID MEMBERS FOR PREVENTING SAID MEMBERS FROM BEING WITHDRAWN THROUGH SAID APERTURES, MEANS INCLUDING A PORTION OF EACH OF SAID MEMBERS ADAPTED TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER OPPOSITE OPNE SIDE OF SAID PLATE FOR THE ATTACHMENT OF A FISHING LINE AND MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID PLATE TO SAID SINKER INCLUDING AN APERTURE IN SAID PLATE WHEREBY SAID ATTACHMENT LOOP MAY BE EXTENDED THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND SAID SINKER MAY BE SECURED TO SAID PLATE BY RETAINING MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ATTACHMENT LOOP. 